Jake Long: Transfer Student
by Phoenix-Flower92
Summary: The council decides to send Jake on his first solo mission. Solo as in no Gramps, no Fu dog to save him. Solo as in not even in America. HP crossover
1. Solo Time

_Summary: _**The council decides to send Jake on his first solo mission. Solo as in no Gramps, no Fu dog to save him. Solo as in not even in America…crossover with…well…you'll find out if you read it!**

* * *

"Yo, G! Whatz up? I came as soon as I got your emergency call!"

Jake Long rushed into his Grandpa's shop on his skateboard, knocking down several objects in the process.

Lao Shi had been meditating peacefully in a corner at the moment, only to be disturbed when his grandson came crashing into the room.

"Jake!" he boomed as the skateboard nearly missed his head.

"Whoa! Sorry, G!" the boy apologized as his grandpa shot him a firm look.

"Jake, this is not a time to fool around," Lao Shi warned tersely.

Behind them, Fu dog quickly began to reassemble all of the broken and knocked over items from Jake's clumsy arrival. "Yo, check it! I was being serious! I came as quick as I could—I had to skip last period for this!" Jake complained.

"Oh, trust us, kid, we know," Fu moaned as he examined a shattered vase and experimented on how to puzzle it back together.

"I did not intend for you to cut your school hours, however, considering the circumstances of what this meeting is about—I shall forgive you."

"What? I was supposed to wait 'til school let out?" Jake exclaimed. "Then—why did you send me a message before it was over?"

"I thought you had enough common sense to wait," Lao Shi said bluntly.

Jake sighed. "So…what are the circumstances of this meeting?"

"You are here to find out. Come—we'll have tea."

Lao Shi led Jake over to the couch where two cups of steaming hot tea sat on the table across from it, waiting to be sipped.

Jake took a seat across from one of the cups, casually slipping his backpack off his shoulders and dropping it onto the carpet.

After he'd taken a sip of tea, Lao Shi began to explain the meaning of the meeting. "Young dragon, as you know, the magical world had gotten darker and darker over the years. Evil is everywhere, help is always needed. Missions keep popping up, even in places that—"

"Yo, you gonna cut to the chase or what, G?" Jake interrupted eagerly.

Lao Shi gathered his breath and slowly let it out, wondering how to put what he wanted to say. "Young one…" He finally drawled sternly so Jake would know that this was not a laughing matter.

"I am afraid that the council has decided to send you on your first solo mission…"

_A/N: _**Sorry it's so short! The next chappie will be longer, I promise! (Well…as long as I get reviews…lol) And you should be able to figure out the crossover next chappie, too. Take that back—you _will_ figure out the crossover.**


	2. Gramps' Big News

* * *

"Solo! G, isn't that good! I mean, yo, the council must think I'm pretty great to be sending me out to fight alone, right?" Jake beamed enthusiastically.

Lao Shi sighed hopelessly, massaging his temples, trying to find the right words, trying to get a point across his grandson's thick skull that this was urgent, extremely serious, and utterly dangerous. He wished that the council had not done this to him. Of all the dragons in the world—they _had_ to select Jake Long, the American Dragon—or as Jake liked to call himself, The Am Drag of the NYC, as _most _worthy!

He knew he would not rest until he heard from Jake each week. He did not want something horrible to happen and him to be left clueless. The upcoming mission was dangerous, and although Jake was a kick- butt fighter, he was never serious about anything. Lao Shi worried that this would be his downfall. Out of all times to take matters seriously, this was the time. But how could he stress to Jake the importance of staying on task and on top of all suspicious behavior when he took off for the mission?

He shook his head. Jake was not ready for this. If only he wasn't so… was there even a word to describe it?

" Jake," he sighed again, " I am afraid that this is far from good. Do you not understand the meaning of solo! That means I won't be there if you find yourself in trouble. I couldn't save you if I wanted to. I'll be much too far away," he explained, " Don't you get it? If trouble finds you, you stand alone."

Jake took a moment to register everything, then said, " So, if it's so dangerous for me to be alone, can't you come, too?"

Lao Shi sadly shook his head, "I must stay here and take care of danger in America,"

Jake nodded until a moment later, when realization dawned. Just one sentence, and Jake was able to put several pieces together. His eyes widened. No—there was no way. He must be misunderstanding the meaning of that sentence. Or was he?

" Whoa—gramps! Hold up! You mean I'm leaving to another _country_ on my _own_! Why? I don't get it! I still haven't completely mastered handling danger around here without a little assistance from you! Not that I'm not getting close--"

" I know, young one… I know…"

Jake swallowed hard before continuing, " Wait a minute, yo! We've left before on missions to the Isle of Draco, and other magical places for like a day or so, sometimes a week, without needing to worry about danger here…" he trailed off as his eyes widened even more, horrible thoughts racing through his head.

Lao Shi allowed his gaze to drop to the carpet, a dark, and heavy, ocean-deep blue. It was now he realized just how bad he needed to sweep. Crumbs were scattered everywhere, and there were several dark spots where juice or potions had been accidentally spilled. He kept his eyes fixed at the ground for several minutes, the closest escape from reality that the room currently had to offer. He sighed as his grandson continued to understand the complete meaning of his one sentence. When he gazed back up, however, Jake was not sitting beside him; he was standing up, pacing back and forth.

" G!" he shrieked, " Details! Feed me the details! Where exactly am I goin'? How long _is_ this mission!"

Lao Shi sucked in a deep breath, feeling a slight headache pressing against his temples. He had to tell Jake, and if he delayed it, there would still be that heavy load on his shoulders, nagging at him. He wouldn't rest peacefully until it was gone. And now was the best time to set it free. He knew he had to get it over with—the sooner, always the better.

He gently set his teacup on the table.

" Young dragon…" he said, " You are needed in England,"

* * *

_A/N: Dun, dun, dun! Ok, I know. I'm a huge liar. I really was going to keep writing until I revealed the crossover. But this just seemed like the perfect place to stop…_

_At least I've narrowed it down. The setting is England. Any guesses?_


	3. Off To Boarding School

* * *

A long silence fell over the room, and instead of pacing, Jake now stood frozen. "England?" he repeated faintly.

"England," Lao Shi nodded firmly.

"That's like—a whole ocean away! You trippin'?" he exclaimed.

"It was not my decision, Jake."

Jake crossed his arms and shook his head. If the council said to do a certain thing, it was law. Especially for Jake and his grandpa, because dragon masters were not supposed to be related to the dragon that they were training. Lao Shi and Jake were an exception, but at a price. The pressure to continue training Jake seemed greater. Any flaw, and the council threatened to replace Lao Shi.

"So…how long we talkin'?" Jake sighed. "Two? Three weeks?"

Lao Shi returned his gaze to the floor. "No," he answered evenly.

"O.K…. a month? That's not so bad," Jake shrugged now that he could see his grandpa's struggle.

"Hey, kid!" Fu dog yelled from across the room. "Try twelve months."

Jake gasped. " A year? G, is this true?" he asked as he sank back onto his cushion on the couch.

Lao Shi simply nodded. "I am sorry, Jake."

"For what? I'm not goin', dude—"

"Yes, you are! You must, and you will."

"Well, good luck with forcing me, 'cause dad'll never stand for this. Neither will mom—"

"Ah, but you are wrong. I have already discussed what a benefit it will be for you to visit another country. Your dad seemed very excited about the 'Transfer Student Program'. And your mom understands that you have no choice."

"Transfer Student Program?"

"Yes, well technically, that's what this is."

"Technically?" Jake repeated. "G—I'm still shocked that you went behind my back and told Mom and Dad about this!"

"I knew it would save you the trouble," Lao Shi replied calmly.

"Yeah—but—you told them before me!" Jake roughly pointed out.

"But you were in school. I only just received the news this morning, Jake."

Jake sighed. "Yo, you're right. What does it matter? Just tell me about the 'Transfer Student Program'." He crossed his arms.

" Well, it is a magical school, of course. It doesn't exactly deal with the same magic you are used to, however. That is where the term 'transfer student' comes in. You must attend classes every day to gain knowledge on this world. That means no cutting classes, Jake. I don't want to hear about you in Albus Dumbledore's office all the time. This is serious business. You must actually _learn,_ actually _listen—_because if you don't, you'll be defenseless and vulnerable,"

"To what? G—you're still leaving out way too many details--"

"Calm yourself, Jake. I'm getting there. The school you will be attending is called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry--"

" _Hogwarts_! Yo, what kind of whack, lame name is _that?_ Someone must have been seriously trippin' or something when they named that school--"

" JAKE!"

" Oh. Yeah. Sorry, go on. You were saying?" He apologized, rolling his eyes.

His grandfather frowned.

" _What_!" Jake exclaimed at the dirty look he was receiving, " I said I was sorry, yo! I'll be serious, okay? From now on, if it comes out of my mouth, it'll totally be one-hundred percent serious,"

Lao Shi couldn't resist thinking ' yeah right'! He kept his face straight and unemotional, though, despite what went on in his brain.

" The wizarding world is very dark, Jake," he continued, " And as I've mentioned, it only becomes darker and darker the more time wares on. The headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore, has requested extra help around the castle--"

" Castle! Dude! I mean—castle, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's cool. It's England after all…and… uh… okay, I'm finished now." Jake slumped down into his seat and he was shot another stern glance.

" Anyways, Jake, your dragon powers will come in handy if you suspect someone knows a lot about the whereabouts of Voldemort, who you will be helping defeat once and for all--"

" Volde-what!"

" JAKE! Please stop interrupting me!"

"Sorry, G! I'm trying, I really am!" Jake held up his hands in surrender, " It's just—why me? Isn't there an English dragon that can do this job?"

Jake crossed his arms slyly, proud of himself. He had made a brilliant point. Maybe he wouldn't have to leave after all…

"The English Dragon is several years behind you, Jake, and not quite ready for something this huge yet. You remember how long it took you to master full dragon! The English Dragon is having trouble with that, too."

Jake shook his head in frustration, forcing air out through his pursed lips. It didn't look like he was going to win. The English Dragon was still mastering going full dragon, so the Council summoned him. There wasn't an alternative. And he hated it. "So, what, G? I go up there, I go to school—do I need to like rent an apartment or what, yo?" he questioned.

At this, Lao Shi couldn't help but snicker. Over in the corner, Fu Dog, who was watching the Magical Network on television, couldn't help but overhear. He, too found it hilarious. "Ah—kid—you're killing me!" he laughed.

Jake clenched his teeth, "Yo, what is so funny?" he shrieked, becoming annoyed, as well as a little red in the face.

After they both calmed down, Fu returned to the T.V. and Lao Shi said, "Jake, Hogwarts is a boarding school."

"Boarding school?" Jake exploded. "Yo, isn't that one of those places where you _sleep_ at school? Where you like—never come home? And you're stuck at school all year?"

Jake shuddered, imagining what a nightmare this would be. He wouldn't be able to have any fun—there would be teachers around every corner! They would suck the child out of him and turn him into a mature, serious adult that never broke the rules. He could _not_ allow that to happen to him!

"Yo, G!" he shrieked. "You must be trippin' bad—"

"Young one, as I have said before, I have no power over this. The Council has decided, and you know as well as I do that we must obey. They are already out to fire me as your master. I know you aren't ready but—"

"Not ready? Yo, I am finally ready! Just, wait, G! I'll have that Voldemort knocked out and defeated in the first week, baby! Nobody messes with the Am Drag! You heard?"

Apparently, Jake had recovered already from the whole boarding school ordeal. His grandfather shook his head again frowning. If only Jake knew just how unprepared for this that he really was. If only he knew how powerful Voldemort actually was. If only he knew…if only…

* * *

**Yay! It was a little longer! I'm gradually making them longer and longer for you guys! And yes, the crossover is Harry Potter. Everyone who reviewed to guess was correct!**

**Stay tuned because Jake has to break the news to Trixie and Spud in the next chappie. J**


	4. Bargaining

* * *

"Yo, whatz up with you today, Jake baby?" Trixie exclaimed, rolling down the skateboard ramp with ease.

She stopped at the bottom; where one of her best buds sat at the edge of the ramp, skateboard in his lap, staring off into the distance. She placed her hands on her hips in a sassy manner.

"You not still trippin' over Rose, are you, Jakie?" she questioned dangerously, trying to catch his eye in the process.

"Uh…no…" he answered distantly.

Trixie sat down beside her friend now, "Uh, Jakie!" She waved a hand in front of Jake's face until he snapped out of it and returned to Earth.

"Whoa—sorry, Trix! What's up?" He said once he was back, oblivious to everything that had just happened.

Trixie crossed her arms, "What's up, Jakie, is that your skateboarding is whack today, baby!"

"Yeah," Spud agreed as he joined them, "Your skateboarding is like—not your normal skateboarding. And it's not just that—it's you, too. You're not your normal you—your you is not normal. Wait a minute. Did I get that right? I don't even know what I'm saying! Do you know what I'm saying? --"

Trixie cut him off, "What Spud is tryin' to say," she announced, " Is that you're distant. Where are you today, yo? Cause' it ain't with us, baby!"

Jake tensed now that he knew that his friends had caught on to him. This by far had to be the worst part of the mission—leaving his friends behind. And worse—having to actually _tell_ his friends that he had to leave. What was he supposed to say! ' Oh, sorry guys, you're my friends and all, but in about two weeks I'm leaving, and I won't be back for a whole year. And that's if I don't die.' Yeah—like that would be a happy conversation.

Not only did he have to leave his friends, parents, sister, and grandfather behind, but he couldn't even take Fu because the stupid school only allowed rats, cats, toads, and owls. Suddenly solo didn't seem as great as it had first sounded.

Jake distracted himself by playing with the wheels on his skateboard, suddenly fascinated at the spinning motion.

Trixie rolled her eyes and sighed, "Boy, whateva's eatin' at you, it's messin' with you _bad_. Now you gonna spill or _what!"_

Jake crossed his arms defensively, "Yo, nothin's wrong with me, kay? What's makin' you think that something is up?"

Trixie glared at him although he still refused to meet her eyes.

"Uh, dude—you're like—playing with the wheels on your skateboard," Spud commented dryly.

"Exactly!" Trixie shrieked, "And Jakie, you don't do that unless things are seriously whacked up! C'mon, we're your best buds, tell us what's up!"

Jake sighed deeply, inhaling and exhaling, and then repeated his deep inhale and sharp exhale, almost like a ritual. A few minutes later, he wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees, wondering how to word what he wanted to say to make it sound right. He imagined his grandfather had felt a similar way when breaking the news to him.

"Uh—Jakie… I don't think I've eva seen you like this, dude! And I gotta say… It's freakin' me out a bit!" Trixie shuddered worriedly, placing a caring hand on Jake's shoulder.

Meanwhile, with an attempt to break the building tension, Spud began rolling back and forth on the pavement on his skateboard from one end of the ramp to the other. Both Jake and Trixie ignored him for as long as they possibly could, as about every five seconds, he'd skate in front of them to reach one end or the other.

"Jakie," Trixie tried again, "We here for you, baby. You can tell us anything," Then, with an unsure glance at Spud, she added, " Well—_I'm_ here for you,"

Jake looked up and moaned as Spud crossed in front of them for the fifteenth time. Seeing Jake sigh without hope, Trixie shot Spud an intense death glare that went unnoticed by the oblivious blockhead.

"Uh, Spud!" she growled to catch his attention, "Can you be serious for at least a moment here, yo? Jakie's under enough pressure as it is! Stop playin' around and come here, boy!"

Spud stopped abruptly in confusion, but walked over to his two friends anyways.

"So, uh…Trix…did you figure out Jake's problem? Like, the problem with Jake?" he questioned.

Trixie smashed her forehead purposely into the skateboard in her lap in frustration.

"Uh! I try…" She moaned in a soft whimper to Jake, barely audible through the skateboard pressed to her face.

"I know…" he sighed, "But here is not the place for explanation. Both of you meet me in one hour, okay? My house, my room,"

He didn't wait for a reply as he roughly adjusted his helmet, jet-black hair with tints of green sticking up and out in all directions. He skated off immediately in the direction of his home, leaving behind two still very, oh- so confused friends.

"Look, Jakie, word up," Trixie said in a demanding tone as she entered Jake's room one hour and ten minutes later, "If this is gonna be a repeat of what happened at the skate park, I'm letting you straight-up know here and now that that we don't want any more games. Otherwise, Spudie and Mama Trixie are gonna bounce, yo!"

Jake held up his hands in a halfway surrender as he shook his head, " No repeat!" he assured her.

"If you say so, Jakie…" she mumbled in reply, plopping down on Jake's bed.

"Don't worry—I'm ready to really break the news to you… even though I don't want to," he sighed.

"So…" Spud drawled as he plopped down next to Trixie, "You gonna dish or what, bro? I've been like waiting since, uh… a full hour ago."

" Yeah, I know," Jake nodded, taking a deep breath, "We are still friends, you guys, no matter what, right?"

At that moment, before either of them even had a chance to open their mouth to respond, the door to Jake's room burst open.

"Hey, Jake! You're needed to set the table downstairs for din…" She trailed off at the sight of Spud and Trixie.

"Haylie, listen--"

His little sister cut him off, "Didn't Mom say no visitors until after dinner?" Her eyes sparkled at the thought of busting Jake.

"Haylie—don't get any ideas!" Jake yelped as Haylie's face split into an evil grin, "Please! A—actually, Mom thought about it and later approved of before-dinner guests tonight," He lied.

"Yeah, right!" Haylie snapped, not believing a word, " I remember Mom clearly told you no friends before dinner because it was too short of notice…"

"Pllllease, Mom!" Jake had begged, practically on his knees.

"No," Mrs. Long repeated for the one-hundredth time in the past ten minutes.

"But they aren't staying for dinner, Mom! C'mon, yo!"

"You know, Jake," Haylie put in while finishing up her homework at the coffee table in the living room, "When Mom tells me no, I understand the first time. Begging isn't the answer and doesn't accomplish anything," She bragged.

Jake rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whateva…" He growled, annoyed at how perfect Haylie made herself out to be.

Ignoring Haylie's comment, he continued to beg, " Mom, C'mon! Trixie and Spud won't do any damage—they come over all the time while you're catering and--"

"Excuse me!" Mrs. Long placed her hands on her hips and glared at her son.

" Heh, heh. What I meant was, they don't care if the house is a mess and plus, it's not like they'll be here all night or expect to be fed. All I need is an hour—or a half an hour, even. Please! See, I'm willing to work with you here!"

Mrs. Long sighed and crossed her arms now, "Well, work with this: find another day that isn't so near dinner and isn't short notice! And while you're at it, you can quit allowing friends over when I'm not here!"

"But, Mom!"

"But nothing! No is no. And I won't change my mind!" She swiftly returned to the sink to continue washing dishes, a chore that she had previously doing before her son interrupted her.

Haylie proudly strutted into the kitchen where Jake stood with his arms crossed rebelliously across his chest and his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Told ya begging solves nothing…" She taunted.

Jake rolled his eyes. How was he supposed to sneak his friends in without anyone knowing or noticing? He'd already told him to meet in one hour, so he had to go through with it…

"MOM!" Haylie shrieked after observing her older brother, "Jake's plotting a way to disobey you!"

Jake's eyes popped out in horror, "_What! How!_--"

" Jake!" Mrs. Long interrupted sternly, "Whatever you are thinking, stop right now. If you try anything, you're grounded!"

"Awww…man!"

"So, how'd you do it?" Haylie eagerly questioned, ripping Jake from his flashback.

"What?" he asked, not quite understanding what she meant.

"How'd you sneak Trixie and Spud into the house without anyone noticing?"

Jake rolled his eyes. What made her believe that he'd ever tell her such a personal thing? She'd probably go and blab it to their parents and he'd sink himself lower, into a situation where he would be grounded at Hogwarts, too.

"That's not important right now," Jake answered slyly, "What's important is that you please, please, please--"

Jake huffed in annoyance, getting to the point, "Can you keep this between me and you for right now?"

"No," she answered simply, loving to see her brother squirm.

"Haylie, _why_!" he cried out. Why did she have to be so difficult? Why couldn't she have his back for once? _Why_ couldn't he have been an only child!

She now flashed a mischievous smile, "You disobeyed mo-om!" she sang happily.

"Yeah, you're right—I did," Jake sighed, "What do I have to say to get you to keep this to yourself!"

" Oh, Jakie, now you've hit rock bottom," Trixie muttered, "She's gonna give you a long list, homie…"

"Let's see… you have to take over all my kitchen chores, dedicate three full hours a day to me until you leave for school—and I mean _you_ will play with me, and no one else…"

Trixie was right. Haylie's list rambled on and on. She was obviously taking advantage of his weak moment. But what could he do? If he was caught, he'd have to re-schedule telling Trixie and Spud about the 'transfer student program'. And there was no way he was about to delay it any longer.

"There's just one more thing…" Haylie drawled after Jake thought she'd named everything in the world she wanted already.

"Okay, shoot," He replied hopelessly.

Whatever else she wanted couldn't be any worse than everything else that she'd already named.

"I dunno…" She said slowly.

"Haylie, please! Just tell me what it is. I'll do it as long as you cover for me just this once! All you have to do is tell Mom I'm swamped with homework or that I'm not hungry, and then set the table for me, okay, yo?"

"Okay," She agreed, "I'll tell you the last part of our little deal…"

* * *

Haylie merrily skipped downstairs for dinner, humming a familiar tune. She was still debating in her head whether to keep her deal with her big brother or squeal on him. After all, she really didn't him to keep his part of it, anyway. Plus, she didn't need anything she'd asked for _that _badly. 

" Ah, Haylie- hoo, how are you?" Mr. Long questioned playfully as he marched through the front door, placing his hat and coat on the coat-rack.

"Hi, Daddy!" She smiled and ran over to hug him.

* * *

"All right, Jakie. The Haylie problem is no longer an issue. So fess up already, yo!" Trixie sighed, crossing hr arms to prove her irritation. 

Jake nodded in understanding, prepared to break the news, " You need to realize that—I'm being sent on my first solo mission," He began.

Spud raised an eyebrow, " And that's bad, _why_!"

* * *

"Isn't Jake joining us for dinner?" Mr. Long asked politely as he took a seat at the table along with his wife and daughter. 

"I don't know! He was really upset earlier because I wouldn't allow his friends over. Knowing him, he'll probably boycott eating," Mrs. Long shook her head as she brought her fork to her mouth and took a bite of salad.

Haylie's stomach tightened. This could be it. She could bust him right here, right now. Should she? Or should she not? And why was she even debating about it? Why would she even consider betraying her brother? The brother that saved her when she lost a dragon tooth… the brother that, at first, didn't want to baby-sit her because he was missing The Hip-Hop Video Awards. The brother that wished he were an only child…

* * *

"You guys, listen—I thought it was a cool idea at first, too. But it's not. It's not because—I'm gonna be gone." 

Jake's voice broke and he couldn't even look up. He didn't want to look up. "Gone?" Trixie repeated the last word. "Yo, whatz that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he sucked up his courage and eyed Trixie straight up. "I won't be here, in America, for…for a whole year."

* * *

"Uh, mom," Haylie spoke after reaching a decision, "Mommy, I know the real reason Jake's not down here." 

"You do?" Mrs. Long asked, astonished. "What is it, sweetie?"

Haylie took a deep breath. "Jake's not down here—he can't come down here, because he disobeyed you and brought his friends over, even though you told him not to until dinner was finished. He even tried to bribe me so I'd keep it hush-hush, but you need to know."

Mrs. Long's face turned blood red in anger, her veins becoming visible as she stood up, threw her napkin onto her plate, and prepared to march upstairs. However, she didn't get as far as the first step because her husband stopped her.

"Hey, hey! It's fine—I'll take care of this. This is a father situation, you just sit back down," he soothed his wife, allowing her to take her seat back and enjoy dinner with Haylie.

Mr. Long made his way up the staircase, where his son's door stood cracked open about half an inch, obviously not enough for Jake or his friends to notice it. Just as he prepared to march in on them, he halted and held his breath. He'd heard the mention of his name. Followed by a very, very interesting conversation, one that made his mouth drop in utter shock…

* * *

A/N: **Muhahaha! What are Jake, Trixie and Spud discussing at the moment? How much will Mr. Long overhear? Find out! But first, leave a review! Reviews mean more story!**

**Plus, coming up: Jake will have his first visit to the Wizarding World—Diagon Alley to be more precise—for school supplies!**


	5. A life of lies?

* * *

Jonathan Long's head swam with thoughts and unanswered questions. His heart pounded into his ears and he could barely support his own weight. For a moment all he heard was the abnormally loud and thunderous beating of his heart and the swarm of questions in his brain.

He had to use all his will power to shove the questions aside as he strained to hear more of the conversation without anyone noticing where he stood.

"…Listen, my dad thinks it's some stupid 'transfer student program'. But it's more than that," Jake's voice was hesitant as he spoke, something new to even _his_ ears.

Ever since Jake was a child, he was always overly confident. He almost never hesitated at anything he did, which often landed him in detention. Okay, more than just often. His trips had become routine over the years. But still, the point was—Jake hesitating? It had to be something extremely bad.

Of course, in Jonathan's mind, it already _was_ bad. Another issue that he found collided with him was the now present urge to storm in and demand explanation. More than just a transfer student program? So Jake _lied _to him? Why? Had he not learned anything that he'd been taught growing up? Oh, he was _so _getting grounded for this!!

"…I have to assist in defeating some powerful wizard dude. What was his name? Voldymart? Oh, it doesn't really matter, because according to Gramps, there is no way out. I have to do this. A whole year in England, except for Christmas. That's the one time I'll get to come back home. I—I'm really sorry…"

A new voice spoke up, "So…what is this yo? A punishment? Why's your ole' man doing this to you, baby boy?"

Jonathan gritted his teeth. 'Baby boy'? Now that was inappropriate for Jake's age!! Who was this girl? Jake had never mentioned a girlfriend before—and as far as he was concerned, Jake was too young to have one.

"No, Trix. The Council decided. G and I have no say," Jake sighed. He hated having no say.

"So…what? Eeny meeny miney mo? Pull your name out of a hat? Why you?" a third voice cut in.

"I don't know, yo! All I know is that out of all the dragons in the magical world, I was the pick. Me. Jake Long. The American Dragon."

Jonathan Long could have sworn at that exact moment that his circulation had cut off, his blood absolutely frozen, and that he wasn't breathing at all. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was hearing. Was this a joke? Had he nodded off, and this was all some silly dream? Or was it just the cold, hard reality, something that he had been deprived of all these years?

A shiver ran down his spine. Did Jake really mean what he was saying? And had he actually said dragon?! Weren't dragons simply ridiculous myths?

Had Susan Long, the love of his life, _lied_ to him about her and their children? Or was she just as clueless as him about their son's other identity? Something in the pit of his stomach told him that she did know. That this was why so many strange things happened. Why Haley had turned evil that day that he had to baby-sit her. She hadn't been allergic to chocolate at all. He still couldn't explain it, but it must've had something to do with this secret 'magical world'.

"Man, this _bites_, Jake baby!" the girl said roughly.

"Well…it's not like we'll be totally out of contact…" Jake said reassuringly, "We can write to each other all the time. You might have to find an owl, though…"

"What?" the two voices questioned in unison.

"Yeah…it's pretty whacked up. Owls deliver mail to the school. But hey, at least something delivers mail, right?"

A few more sentences and he couldn't take it anymore. If he stayed planted in his current standing position, he'd be tempted to walk in on Jake. And if that happened, Jake would know that he'd been eavesdropping. So instead, he stumbled back downstairs, white as a sheet.

"Jonathan, are you okay?" Susan Long questioned as her husband silently slipped into his seat, pale and clammy.

He bit his tongue until he tasted his own metallic blood. He didn't quite know why he wanted to keep what he'd found out to himself, but he did. And if he opened his mouth right now, at that moment, he'd spill. He had too much on his mind. An overwhelming amount. Had his entire life been nothing but a huge web of lies? And if it had, what did this mean for him? What was he supposed to do? Where did he go from here? Where _could _he go from here?

"Jonathan, did Jake make his friends go home? Where are they? I didn't see them leave—what happened?" Susan yanked Jonathan from his thoughts.

Truth be told, with all that had just happened, he'd completely forgotten about the entire reason _why _he'd been up there in the _first _place. If he told about Jake's friends, Jake would suspect that he'd overheard the conversation. And Jonathan would have to face his enormous soap-opera problem. Something he had no idea how to do right now. He needed time to think, to sort things out, on his own time. So he did what everyone had already done to him, all these 'honest' years. He lied.

* * *

A/N: Well, that's another chapter for you readers out there!! I know, I meant to make it longer…but this seemed like such a great stopping place…the next chapter will be longer, I swear!!

Still coming up: Jake's visit to Diagon Alley! So review, and the experience of Jake buying Hogwarts school supplies will be that much closer!!


	6. Floo Powder

* * *

"Jonathan, honey?" Susan softly urged for her husband to reply.

He looked up from his plate, where he'd idly been playing with the food on his plate.

"Jake issue?" she reminded him, "What happened?"

"Uh…right…" he mumbled in response, "Well…no one's up there. The issue is not an issue after all. He's not hungry…"

"Well, in that case," Mrs. Long said, turning towards Haley, "You are grounded, young lady! For telling us that Jake had friends over when he didn't!!

"But--" Piped up the small girl.

"No but's!"

Haley Long pouted. Jake must have already gotten rid of Spud and Trixie. He had probably snuck them out the window…

"I gotta do _what_ now, yo?!" Jake Long stood bewildered, arms crossed, in front of the fireplace in his Grandpa's shop the very next day.

"Throw the powder into the center of the fireplace, young one. We will be traveling to the Wizarding World for school supplies," Lao Shi explained calmly.

"School supplies? Yo, can't we just to a corner store? What's to need? Paper? Pencils? I mean, c'mon! It's a boarding school, they should provide that stuff!!"

Lao Shi sighed, a little on the annoyed side, allowing his Grandson to rant.

Taking a whiff of the powdery substance in the bowl, Jake stumbled backwards, " Yo! What the heck is that stuff??" he shrieked.

"It's floo powder, kid," Fu answered in an amused manner. He was quite enjoying this whole adventure, as it kept providing such worthwhile entertainment.

"Floo powder? Wha--? Wait—what flew?" Jake scratched his head.

He hated all the odd, unusual transportations to other worlds. Gramps never clearly communicated to him what to do. Why couldn't there be a universal transportation that would work for every single hidden magical world??

Fu, meanwhile, snorted, "Kid, just grab a handful and toss the powder into the fireplace. It'll conjure up a green smoke, step into it, and shout 'Diagon Alley.' Gramps'll follow you to make sure you don't end up in the wrong place…a-goo-goo-gee…"

"Fu, you aren't comin'?" Jake questioned. Fu usually always tagged along.

The 400-year-old sharpay sighed, "Ah…I'll tag along, I suppose…some of those shops used to be very interesting. But it's dark times, kid. May not be the same…"

"Fu dog is correct. I may sound like a broken record, but these are _incredibly _dark times, Jake. Though…I see no harm in Fu coming along. It's only a supply trip," Lao Shi said, "Now we must waste no more time, Jake."

Jake visibly gulped, grabbing a handful of the strange, foul powder that Grandpa had shoved in front of his face. He honestly hoped that this would work.

Obeying the directions, he hesitantly stepped inside the fireplace that Lao Shi had widened specifically for this reason, and dropped the powder.

"DIAGON ALLEY!" he shrieked, and all of a sudden, Grandpa and Fu dog spun out of view.

Around and around…around and around…until it all ended, just as swift as it'd began, and he fell, tailbone first, into the middle of another fireplace.

"Whoa…" Jake mumbled dizzily, crawling out from under the fireplace and standing up to his feet.

Examining himself, he realized how dirty he was, with sawdust covering him head to toe.

"Yo, fireplace!" he cried out hotly as if the object had ears and would understand him, "Look what you've done to this beautiful face!"

Seconds later, Lao Shi and Fu dog reappeared in a heap, just as dusty as Jake.

"G! Please tell me our first stop is for some new threads! Look at me!!"

Fu dog snickered, "Oh, kid…the kicks never cease…"

"Now, Jake. As I've said again and again, dark times. STAY BY ME It's very important, you _must _understand me. You must take advantage of the fact that I am able to be here today." Lao Shi seemed to be ignoring Jake's worries of appearance.

"Yo, G! If I'm goin' solo, shouldn't I see how long I can go _without you_??"

"Young one," Lao Shi's voice could not have been full of more concern, "This is not Hogwarts. Things happen here, and you are extremely vulnerable, Jake. I cannot express how vulnerable you are! You don't fit in, and if you are not careful, you may not make it to Hogwarts."  
A shiver spiraled down Jake's spine. Gramps usually was a pessimist, and he usually did give Jake threat after threat, but this? He was suggesting that Jake could die! Really die, _today!!_ Perhaps matters were a little more serious than he had taken them for?

But then…_nah!_ Jake casually shrugged off his Grandfather's words of wisdom. Maybe it was the fact that he was becoming older, and the urge to rebel grew stronger, for some reason, every day. Or maybe his Gramps was simply being paranoid once again—after all, Jake had never visited this 'wizarding' world before, it was only natural. Wasn't it?

"Okay, okay…" Jake agreed, rolling his eyes, "I won't leave your sight."

But in his head, he smiled mischievously, knowing that as soon as opportunity struck, he was going to escape, roaming and strutting the streets with pride…_alone._

* * *

**A/N: Well, that wraps up another chapter. I am SO sorry that this update took an eternity. And it's probably not much longer than the last chappie, but at least it's an update? Right? LOL**

**Looks like trouble ahead for Jake—and I finally _did _bring Jake to Diagon Alley! Yay!! He should be arriving at Hogwarts fairly soon…within a few more chapters, at least!!**


	7. The stalker

* * *

"Yo, yo, yo! G!! Now I know you trippin' for real! Check it, Jake does _not _wear…what are these called again?!" Jake grimaced as Lao Shi held up a pair of blackish gray cotton robes.

It was just the two of them, as Fu dog had spotted a shop three blocks from their current location, and had decided to check it out. Grandpa ran his eyes over the robes, approving them with a small nod. Jake stuck a finger into his mouth as if to gag himself.

"I don't need any new threads. What I have is fine!" he reasoned, a dramatic switch from only minutes earlier when he'd begged for the first stop to be for new, clean clothes.

"These are required uniform," Lao Shi informed his grandson matter-of-factly, "And you will wear them regardless of whether you like them or not."

"But yo! This is like—Haley-type wardrobe!" Jake stubbornly crossed his arms.

"It is _your_ wardrobe now,"

"It's _whack_ is what it is!" Jake spat, "What kind of magical universe is this, yo? Land of boring black hideous robes?"  
This gained the black-headed New-Yorker several stares from across the shop.

"Young one," Lao Shi said lowly, "I advise you not to make fun of anyone while you are here. It is not wise."

"Yeah, whatever! I don't think it's wise for everyone to dress alike. What happened to originality?"

Lai Shi ignored the comment as a smiling, overly perky witch strode over to them, suggesting for Jake to try the robes on in order to make certain that they fit. The woman ushered Jake to a brown stool, shuffling around for needles and pins.

"I don't need to try them on!" Jake complained to her, "C'mon…I don't even know if I'm getting them."

"Nonsense, boy, of course you'll be getting' 'em. Need 'em for school, do yeh not?"

Jake just groaned.

"Besides, these need plenty of trimmin' down…you're quite short, you are,"

"I am _not _short!" Jake objected hotly, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks, "I haven't hit my growth spurt yet,"

"Well, of course not," the woman replied.

Jake rolled his eyes, _I have got to get out of here_, he thought desperately_. I have got to find someone to chill with. I have got to find someone my own age. I have got to find someone young and hip like me!_

So he used the lamest, most obvious excuse in the world. It wasn't brilliant, but he had nothing else up his sleeve at the moment.

"Hey, would it be cool if I used the bathroom real quick before this fitting? It's sort of an emergency…"

"Sure, sure," the woman replied.

Lao Shi exchanged a look with Jake, one that clearly stated, _don't you dare pull_ _anything_. But Jake responded with a look as well, one that was convincing and almost real, one that relaxed his grandfather. One that said, _I won't run off. Trust me. I won't. I'll go so far as to promise it. Even swear it._

He jumped off the stool, but not too anxiously as to keep up his innocent act, and only when his back faced Lao Shi did the slyest, most cunning smirk grace his features.

The woman kindly directed Jake to the restrooms, and even more excitement and relief greeted him when he stepped inside and saw that they had windows. The windows were off the ground, but why in the world would that stop Jake Long? Jake Long, the American Dragon!

"Dragon up!" he whispered.

Within moments, the young boy had transformed into a huge, beautiful red dragon. Flapping his wings, he flew up to the window and flew right out of Madam Malkin's. As quick as he had dragoned up, he dragoned down. His grandfather had warned him to keep a low profile about his abilities. Apparently, even though it _was _a magical universe, the American Dragon was nevertheless to remain secret.

Scurrying down the alley, Jake fell in with an enormous crowd of witches and wizards, blending in even as he passed the exact same shop that he'd escaped from. His mind was racing now with incredibility. Had he really just done what he thought he'd done?? Was he really out on the streets, avoiding his own grandfather? And why? Why did he feel the need to do this? Was he truly a rebel now? Everything traced back to the exact same question—why? Why, why, _why???_

Of course, having the laid-back personality that he did posses, he was able to apathetically shrug it off. Minutes later if was as if he wasn't worried at all. He casually moved along with the crowd, occasionally breaking off with a certain group, until the flow of people around him had condensed to merely five or six.

One by one, the wizards departed into shops, around corners, down alleys. It seemed like Jake blinked and suddenly he was following a single wizard. Vaguely he wondered if he would be considered as a stalker. _No_, he reminded himself, _I just wanted to follow someone that would lead me as far as possible from my previous location. I'm not stalking. I just happen to be going the same destination as this dude._

The person was obviously a wizard, and not a witch. He wore an extremely long—extremely odd, in Jake's personal opinion—dark, satin robe. It was much nicer and probably much more expensive than the one that grandpa had tried to purchase for Jake. But more expensive didn't make it any less painful to wear. It was still unoriginal. It was still strange. It was _still_ Haley-type wardrobe. And Jake still refused to wear it.

The wizard's steps grew slower and slower, and abruptly he came to a halt. Jake's heart hammered against his chest. What if this man was powerful and concluded that Jake was a villain or enemy or something like that?

Jake held his breath in fear. They'd stopped in a dark, dirty, quiet alley. Almost too quiet and too dark. Jake had learned in all his years of American Dragon duty that too quiet and too dark meant danger.

"I know you're there." The man spoke softly and sternly.

Jake remained silent for a moment, but then, "I'm not following you."

"Oh yeah?" the man replied in an almost amused manner, but also a tone that threatened. "You think you can obviously, non-secretly stalk me and then when your confronted, you think you can innocently lie and I am going to be a dense blockhead that believes you?"

"Uh…"

"Well, let me tell you something. Either _you_ are the blockhead, or you just don't know who I really am. I'm guessing first year. Yes?"

"I don't know what--"

"No, wait." He chuckled lightly and confidently, still with his back facing Jake, "You're a mudblood first year?" It was honestly more of a statement than a question.

Jake stood agape, completely bewildered. Grandpa had never mentioned anything about years. _Was _he a first year? And was the heck was a mudblood?

"Definitely a mudblood first year. Well guess what? You are one lucky duck. Because I'm about to give you your first lessen. Yeah, you heard me. Prehogwarts and already you're about to learn something new. Something…magical. You see, I already hate mudbloods. But I'm willing to overlook that little detail, as long as they stay in their place. And their place is out of my way. Now when they get in my way and begin to stalk me…that's where I have a problem. What's your name, kid?"

"Uh…Jake."

"Right then. Jake, would you be displeased if some stranger stalked you one unsuspecting afternoon?"

"Displeased? Wha--?"

"What about aggravated? Annoyed? Angry?"  
"Uh…"

"Exactly. Especially if it was someone lower class, correct?"  
"Lower class?" Jake exclaimed, stunned at the classification and automatically putting aside his fear, "Yo, you trippin'!"

The dark-robed figure disregarded Jake's second comment, maintaining his perfect posture, level-headedness, and mysteriousness.

"Back to my point. Say you were in such a position, Jake. Would you not want to make sure that the stalker never stalked _you _again?"

It was as if all of Jake's earlier mistaken-as-a-stalker worries had come true. As if because he'd thought about them, they were occurring. Would this still be happening had he not wondered about the whole stalking issue?

"I'm not a stalker!" Jake repeated, "I swear. I just wanted to ditch my G, that's all. Yo, I was just going with the flow, and I just happened to be behind you--"

"I'm sorry, but did I ask for your mouth? I don't talk to mudbloods often. Especially not first year mudbloods with very odd language. Honestly, I don't care what sort of muggle device you wanted to ditch or what sort of flow you were going with. You're an ant in my life. But of course, even as lowly as you are, you do deserve to see the face of the man about to give you your first lessen, right?"

"Bring it on! I've been anxiously waiting to see your ugly face. Cuz' you know, nothin' can top my beautiful face!"

Apparently, this wasn't even worth response to the man. Gradually, he turned around, until Jake had full view of the menacing wizard that Jake had mistakenly 'stalked.'

* * *

**A/N: Oooh...Jake's first run-in with...someone. Lol. I hoped everyone liked it!! And I promise, chapters really WILL begin to gradually become longer. I really do mean it. Really. Heh, heh...:)**


	8. The stalker's punishment

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah… I don't own Harry Potter or American Dragon: Jake Long, nor do I own Happy Feet….**

* * *

Gradually, almost ceremoniously, the blond-haired man, "victim of stalking", twisted around into the direction of his "stalker". And really, once in full view, once he was able to drink in his facial features, Jake realized that the man was merely a teenager. Perhaps, in fact, not much older than Jake himself. 

A waterfall of relief washed over Jake—how dangerous could someone of his own age honestly be? He allowed a slight sneer flicker across his face.

The teenage boy challenged his sneer immediately, narrowing his glittering gray eyes as if it amused him to intimidate "muggles."

"Now what, prey tell, could you, Jake, find amusing enough to stand in front of me sneering?"

"You can't trick me any longer, yo! You almost had me sweating, before I could see you. But now we both know you're not any older than me!"

"Oh, really?" he raised an eyebrow threateningly, "What makes you so confident that, just because we fall in the same range of age that, suddenly, I can't harm you?"

Jake had to admit that the sleek blond had made an excellent point. "You can't know much more than me, right?" he squeaked, shrugging in an attempt to cover up his weak vocal cords.

"Name a spell, then." The teen casually smirked, thoroughly enjoying himself as he reached into the pocket of his fancy satin-black robes and pulled out what appeared to Jake as some goofy toy.

"What type of spell?" Jake questioned, stalling the best that he knew how. His eyes stayed glued to the strange stick-toy as his mind filled with wonders of what it could possibly be used for.

"Well, to make it interesting," he paused for a moment to contemplate, "This will be your opportunity to make a special spell request. If you name a spell for me, whatever you name will be the spell that I perform on you." His eyes glistened now.

"Of course…" he continued thoughtfully, "You probably, as I am betting, don't know any spells yet…But surely…surely you've heard of something?"

"Uh…how 'bout something that's not painful?" Jake cringed.

He chuckled. "You're funny."

"So…I appeal to your better nature?!" Jake wildly and hopefully questioned, recalling the movie _Happy Feet_ that he'd been forced to watch in school.

"No." the blond stated, a bit confused as to why Jake found the question so humorous, "Now if you can't name a spell, I'll choose one for you." He raised the stick-like object that Jake couldn't decide how or even what to label as, but as soon as it was raised, it was unexpectedly snatched from his fingers.

Jake's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as a taller blond, this time with long, flowing hair, stepped forward from behind the teenager. The pair seemed to be father-son, Jake concluded based on their identical (almost to the point of freakily identical) features.

"Now, now…Draco." The newest addition to this dark and quiet alley nightmare stated icily, "Don't tell me that you were planning on using magic outside of school?"

The teenager, now confirmed as Draco, visibly froze, his once towering, confident posture disappearing in an instant.

Draco's father glanced over at Jake for a moment, his eyes carefully tracing Jake up and down and up again. Jake could feel the man's disapproval of his soot-covered outfit and falling-apart shoes. His stomach lurched when the father's eyes surveyed Jake's ripped jeans and t. shirt with hatred. _I feel like I am a grotesque animal on display at the zoo_, Jake thought to himself

_Gramps, help! Please tell me that you are looking for me; please tell me that you are on your way! Oh, c'mon, G!_

"Though, Draco… I must say, this boy certainly is classified as street scum." The man wrinkled his nose now in disgust, "Still…" he shot his son dagger eyes, "I _cannot _believe you were about to break school rules! You are so stupid! Your sheer stupidity will be the death of you!"

"Father, I didn't plan to actually _do _anything. Honestly, I didn't think I'd get this far. I thought for sure he'd run away screaming!!"

Jake couldn't believe what he was hearing. _I could've ran away screaming?! _His mind brightened at the idea. Yet then again, Jake Long did _not _run away screaming like a girl. Jake Long was _not _a pansy! He straightened up, prepared to face the two blonds, and maybe even fight back if needed.

"Yo, call me scum if you want. Call me lower class, whateva! You call me what you gotta call me, if it makes you feel superior."

"I do not need to call you anything to feel superior, you filthy muggle-born! I already am superior. And let me inform you, if it were up to me, you rats would not even be within my sight. Good lord, the lot of you gets filthier and filthier every year!" the father shuddered.

"And besides father, I had to do something—not that I truly would have—but I had to make him think I was going to. The git was stalking me!"

"Stalking you?" the father whispered to himself, trying to comprehend the two words.

"Yes, father, stalking me. I was rather frightened. I think he might bend the other way."

Outraged, Jake lurched forward several steps. "I am not in love with you!" he shrieked, "and I am not a stalker. And I do not bend the other way, thank you!"

"First sign is denial, father." Draco stepped backwards to make up for the steps that Jake had jumped forward.

A sick smile crept onto the father's face, "You were stalking my son, eh? Have yourself a little crush, yeah?"

"NO!" Jake objected, "I don't appreciate you making assumptions! Yo, does it even matter what I say? Is there even a way for me to convince you otherwise?"

"I don't think so."

"But why? Why do you believe him over me? That's not fair! Just because he's your son!"

"You cannot stalk someone without a reason. Obviously you are in way over your head, because for your information, my son would never sink low enough to bend the same way as you. So please, take some advice and _never_. Stalk. My. Son. Again." The man slowly told Jake, his tone laced in thick rattlesnake venom. "I don't want you near him. I don't want you in the same room as him. I don't want you hunting him down."

"Okay, I swear I won't!"

"Oh, I'm going to make sure you won't."

"That's not necessary," Jake pleaded.

"But it is." The man nodded, "Besides, I'm not feeling very forgiving right now. I'm in a bad mood, and when I am in a bad mood, I take it out. On others."

The man shoved the stick toy that he'd confiscated from his son back into its rightful owner's arms. Then, reaching into his _own_ robes, pulled out his _own _toy, and raised it into the position that Draco had originally held his before it had been snatched away.

Jake squeezed his eyes shut, praying that this man would have mercy upon him. Next thing he knew, the man had uttered several unrecognizable words, from some language other than English, and Jake felt like he'd been hit with the force of something twice his size and weight. He toppled over; fell hard on his back, and his world went spinning…spinning…_whirling_…before it blacked out completely on him…

* * *

**A/N: uh…I hope this chapter wasn't a total disappointment…it was kind of challenging to write. I hope what happened wasn't too off-the-wall and unbelievable!!** **And I would like to state that I myself am not against slash, unlike Lucius in the story,** **just so you are aware:)**


	9. The wand chooses the Jake

**A/N: Now that the seventh book is out…this is going to really have to be AU…**

Angry Chinese ranting. _Furious _Chinese ranting. That's all Jake heard from the moment that he was found in the alley. He'd awoken with his grandfather's face pressed in front of him, shaking him. The two blonds, Draco and his Father, had already taken their leave, but Jake didn't need to convince Fu dog and Gramps that they had been there. It was evident due to the fact that he sort of…fainted.

"I still _cannot believe_ you were in Knockturn alley out of all places!" Gramps shouted.

More Chinese spurts followed. It had been like that for the past hour and a half. A sentence in English. Five in Chinese. A sentence in English. Five in Chinese. Their shopping trip had morphed into another of Lao Shi's lectures on maturity. _Joy!_

Jake obstinately folded his arms across his chest, only wishing that he'd thought to grab his ipod, so that tuning his Gramps out would require…much less effort. Of course, with his incredibly short attention span, even an ipod-less Jake Long didn't exactly _need_ to use effort to distract himself.

He easily preoccupied his mind with focusing on the various strange shops and people surrounding him. Just like Draco and his Father, (although they weren't nearly as fancy) _everyone _wore long, black, billowing robes. Not even one of them had given their clothes a creative spin!

_A creative spin…that's what I am going to do_…Jake slyly contemplated. He wasn't sure about precisely what it was that he would do, but being who he was, he would definitely find a way to make boring school robes work.

The black-headed boy was still musing to himself when Lao Shi led him into a shop called Ollivander's. As they stepped inside, Jake realized…it sold stick toys!!!

"_Sweet_!" Jake yelped excitedly, "Now I can get my revenge on that Draco kid! We'll see if he's still Mr. Tough if I have one of these babies, too!!!"

"No, you can't." Lao Shi objected immediately in a terse tone. "This is so that you will fit in. While you are not a squib, and will be able to use a wand, it _won't_ be for revenge on whomever you met up with in Knockturn Alley."

"Why?!" Jake whined, _Draco practically deserves some good revenge…_

"Focus, Jake. You are not being sent to Hogwarts to become caught up in silly revenge plans."

"Fine…" Jake moaned.

"Good. Now…a wand…"

Jake smiled as if his Grandfather was now somehow finally speaking teen language, and lunged for one of the many boxes on the shelves, saying, "Oooh! I want this one, G!"

Lao Shi had to fight back slapping his grandson. "Jake!" he growled through gritted teeth, "You cannot _choose_ a wand. And you need to wait for Mr. Ollivander."

"What do you mean I can't choose a wand, yo? I thought you just got through saying that I could handle one since I have magical powers and all—see? I listen, G. I _listen_."

"Well, then listen to me now, young one. You do not touch anything or do anything from now until we leave unless I have granted you permission."

"So what, it's like I'm in the military now?! I have to do that whole, 'yes sir!', 'permission, sir!', 'negative sir!' stuff?! That seems a bit over the top, G!"

"You know what I meant, Jake."

"Yeah, like I said, I _listen,_ and you said granted permission, meaning--"

"Ahhh…here is Mr. Ollivander now." Lao Shi swiftly changed the subject as a gray-haired man with dark circles under his eyes stepped up to the counter.

"Hello, hello…ah, you must be Lao Shi…" the man said, "…and, Mr. Jake Long, I presume?"

"Yes--" Lao Shi began, but his grandson hastily cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, so, we've met you now, you've met us—G, can I pick out a wand now? And forget the military way of asking. You're not getting me to do that!"

"But you cannot choose your wand, Mr. Long." Ollivander stated wearily, "The wand chooses the wizard."

"Yo, _what the heck_ is that supposed to mean?!" Jake spat, annoyed, "How can a wand choose someone? It's a _wand_! A piece of wood! Is this some sick joke because I'm new to this whole wizarding world?!"

Mr. Ollivander shook his head, reaching behind him for one of the many boxes, "It will do no good for me to explain in words. You must see for yourself. Here," he handed Jake the wand from the box.

Jake stretched his arm out and took the wand with a grouchy look plastered to his face. "So…what? Is this my wand? Is this what you meant? There's a certain wand that you picked out for me? Because you could've just _said_ that you had a wand already for me instead of that crap about the wand chooses the--"

"You must give the wand a wave, Mr. Long." Ollivander tapped his foot impatiently on the wooden floor.

It had been much simpler to explain matters to the young Harry Potter, who, like Jake, had walked into the shop barely knowledgeable about the wizarding world. He had been mistaken in hoping that Jake would be a repeat of Harry. Instead, Jake was rather a repeat of several of the muggle-borns he'd had before…intensified by ten.

Jake obeyed this time without any remarks or sour facial expressions; he waved the wand a single time, an action that sent an explosion across the room. Glass jars shattered, boxes of wands fell to the floor, and bookshelves began to crumble.

"Whoa…" Jake breathed, examining the damage across the room that had occurred as a result of a simple wand wave.

"Now you see," Ollivander gently grasped the wand back from Jake's hand, "This wand is clearly not for you. It does not choose you."

"So…what next?"

Ollivander turned around, searched the shelf behind him, until he seemed to find the box that he was searching for. He carefully lifted the wand out of the case, handing it over to Jake.

"Try this one," he said.

Jake shrugged, waving the wand just like he had the last one. The result, however, was the same. Disaster struck the little shop once more, and Lao Shi had to duck to avoid a large, edgy shard of glass.

The Wandmaker sighed, then suddenly, exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Are you that boy…that boy…" he leaned over close to Jake so that he whispered in his ear, "That dragon boy sent to help Harry Potter defeat You-Know-Who?"

"You mean the Am Drag? Yeah. I'm helpin' defeat Voldymart or whatever his name is!" Jake spoke it like it was no big deal.

"We do not speak his name." Ollivander warned with a shiver, even though Jake had not even pronounced the name correctly.

"I do not think I got that far with him in explaining the situation," Lao Shi apologized to the man.

"It's fine, it's fine…but this helps me. I think I now know the wand for you, Mr. Long. Ah, yes, I think I do…" he hurried around to the other end of the shop, returning with yet another white box.

Once more he slowly lifted the wand out, handing it to Jake. This time, though, when he waved the wand, it was different. The room seemed to glow, as if the wand was saying, 'yes, I choose this wizard. I want Jake Long: American Dragon as my master!'

"Hmmm…yes…" Ollivander smiled, " Exactly twelve inches, Rosewood. The wand core: Dragon Heartstring."

But at Rosewood, Jake's mind soared out of the little shop, out of Diagon Alley, away from his so called 'transfer student program', and back home to Rose, his old girlfriend. His old girlfriend, who had found her family, forgotten about him, then left for another country…

He'd moved on, so it seemed, to any outsider, to any observer. He'd started back up with dating again, but as cheesy as it sounded, it was never the same. His heart still stuck on Rose, still ached for Rose, still desired…Rose. And only Rose. He didn't know why, he couldn't explain it. But she was in his past now. _Stupid_ _past_, he thought to himself bitterly, _stupid, stupid_ _past._

The rest of his day in Diagon Alley seemed a blur. He was distracted, his mind elsewhere. This, of course, pleased his grandpa, who thought that Jake had finally learned his lesson and was attempting to stay out of trouble.

The two of them met back up with Fu dog at the end of the day (who had spotted several shops at the beginning of the trip that caught his interest, and had mysteriously disappeared…) And together, the three of them flooed back to grandpa's shop.

Jake trotted home that evening alone, having left his supplies with his grandpa. He still felt depressed as he entered the house, just days before he'd be on the train to Hogwarts…


	10. The departure and the decision

_A/N: I'm so angry that Jake Long rarely ever comes on now!!! Jake Long was my favorite show._

It had come. As much as he'd wished and desired for it to never arrive, it had. As much as he'd dreaded it and prayed for a slow approach, it was undoubtfully here, earlier than he anticipated it to be.

Jake Long stood in a rebellious manner at King's Cross Station in front of his Grandfather, with his arms folded across his chest and an irritated expression glued to his features. Lao Shi was at his side, reminding him of every single detail they'd previously discussed.

"…Take this seriously…remember to stay on task…" Jake zoned out every so often, determined to make a point that what was about to happen wasn't fair.

"…Remember to wear your robes…" Jake almost snorted.

_The hideous robes_! Jake mentally made note to try everything in his will power to escape from ever wearing such wardrobe, whether his Grandfather liked it or not!!! What an advantage, he finally realized, that he would be solo, and therefore no Gramps to watch over him and force him to abide rules.

"No skateboards or skates or…." Another major attempt to suppress a snort overwhelmed Jake.

It was a little late to remind him not to pack such items! They were already in his suitcase, and now, solely because he had been warned not to use them, they automatically jumped to the very top of his list of rule breaking to do.

Lao Shi's voice rambled on, and when it finally did cease, Jake pretended to have heard every word, pretended to act like an angel, pretended that he was a mature young man.

"I am proud of you, young one," Lao Shi congratulated him as they together walked, pausing in front of platforms nine and ten. "You seem well prepared and I am almost anxious for your departure. I like to think this may turn out okay?"

"G, I'm the Am Drag! I can take on anything. I've been reading up on those books," (a total lie) "so of course there's no need for worry."

"Well then," Lao Shi nearly smiled, "Go on. Walk straight at the wall in front of us, and good luck."

"_Do what now?!"_

"You said you were ready, could take on anything. So go ahead."

"G, what are you on??? I said I'm ready for the mission, not ready to walk through a wall. I'm not invincible!!!"

"And I never said you _were_ invincible."

"Well, then what the h--"

"Just look at your ticket, Jake."

Jake glanced down at his ticket. "Platform nine and three quarters." He read aloud. Then suddenly, "What?! That's insane! That's a mistake! That doesn't even exi—oh!" As abrupt as the outburst had been, realization dawned. (And in Lao Shi's opinion, much quicker than he'd thought it would).

Jake sighed. This had to be weirder than taking an elevator to different dimensions. With a groan of annoyance, he hugged his Grandfather and grabbed his cart, sprinting towards the wall. He held his breath, snapped his eyes shut, and prepared to feel a blow to the head and searing pain.

As soon as voices greeted his ears, he opened his eyes again, and to his amazement, he was on the platform. Without pain! Without any sensation at all, because in fact, had he not opened his eyes, he would not have been sure if he had crossed through the wall or not.

He mouthed the word, 'wow!' and stepped towards the enormous Hogwarts Express.

* * *

It was the morning that Jake had departed, for his so called 'transfer student program.' He had left about an hour ago, left with his good-byes and lies, with his Grandfather by his side. Jonathan Long sat at the edge of the made-up bed in his and Susan's room, biting his lip uneasily. He had thought long and hard about the information he'd recently discovered before drawing a closing decision. 

He'd been quiet for the past few days, speaking only one or two words here and there, so finally Susan approached him about the matter.

"Jon?" She pressed softly, emerging from the shower with a towel wrapped around her head and dressed in a pale pink bathroom robe.

"You'd tell me if you had any secrets, right?" Jonathan questioned quickly. He couldn't hold his knowledge in for even one more second.

"What do you mean?" He stomach tightened, her mind swirling. She took a seat beside him on the bed, heart thumping.

"Secrets, Susan. You tell me everything, yes? We have the trust factor?"

"Of course, honey--"

"No." His voice was low and calm. Too low. Too calm.

"Wha--?"

"_Why didn't you tell me then, that you were all magical?!_" There. He'd said it. Well, so far, half of what he had to say…

"Well—I was going to—so many times, really, Jonathan, honestly—just hadn't gotten around to it—how—how'd you find out?!"

Shakily Jonathan drew a deep breath, ignoring the tears welling up behind Susan's eyes, ignoring the questions, ignoring everything and simply spitting out the second burden upon him that he needed to voice. "I want a divorce."


End file.
